1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protective body vests for protecting against impact upon a human torso when worn by an athlete during sporting activities. More specifically, the present invention is primarily intended to provide a baseball/softball player added protection from being injured by a pitched, thrown, hit or tipped ball or from being injured while being tagged with a ball or from being injured while colliding with an opposing player or sliding into the ground. The present invention can also be utilized by other athletes engaged in other sporting activities, such as, but not limited to, roller blading, skateboarding and touch football to provide added protection from being injured from falling to the ground or colliding with another player.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, many vests have been created for the purpose of providing protection to the torso of an athlete engaged in sporting activities. These vests, however, only afforded protection to limited areas of the body. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,080, issued to Culton, discloses a protective apparatus against baseball pitching injuries, which is essentially a partial vest contoured to protect the chest, shoulders and upper arms of the wearer. Designed primarily for use by baseball/softball umpires, the Protective Apparatus is not conducive to batting, running, throwing, fielding or sliding motions due to the adjustable combination of flexible and non-flexible arm and shoulder straps which secure the vest snugly to the arms, shoulders and neck of the wearer (and prohibit the full and easy movement of the arms and neck of an athlete wearing the apparatus) and the protective covering over the upper arms which the apparatus provides. In addition, the degree of overall protection afforded by the Protective Apparatus from a pitched, hit, thrown or tipped ball, a fall, a collision or from sliding is limited since 1) there is no protection for the sides and back of the torso and 2) the amount of protective material in the apparatus is limited since it is designed to fit under the shirt of an umpire. Designed primarily for use by baseball/softball umpires who would wear the apparatus for an extended period of time (i.e, the duration of the game), the Protective Apparatus is not quickly and easily donned due to the number, location and operation (i.e., any required adjustment for fit) of the securing straps and the fact that the wearer has to put on the vest over his/her head while placing one arm at a time through the arm straps. In particular, to achieve the proper fit of the shoulder strap, the wearer would have to reach around his/her lower back with both hands for the most effective operation of the adjusting mechanism (which is located behind the wearer) unless he/she solicited the help of another person.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,202, issued to Scheurer et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,398 issued to Aubrey, both disclose protective vests for flotation utilized in water sporting activities. These vests have a reduced overall flexibility for sporting activities due to the relative rigidity of the vest materials. Further, both of these water vests utilize an exposed center opening for the user to put on the vest, a deep V-neck design and a plurality of adjustable securing belts fastened across the center opening. These water vests are primarily designed for flotation purposes and not for protection against impact from sporting activities. As such, these vests do not provide the necessary protection needed for the whole torso. Though the water vests provide some protection against the impact of the water, the center opening exposes internal organs such as the heart of the athlete to impact. Further, the body area below the center opening is not protected as the center opening is not covered by a protective material. The deep V-neck design further exposes the chest to impact. The back of these water vests do not protect the lower spine, tailbone or ilium areas of the body from impact forces. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,202 contains a rear opening to adjust the vest to the particular body size while leaving the back exposed to impact forces.
It therefore becomes highly advantageous to provide a protective vest that can provide the necessary protection from a multi-section one piece garment to the whole torso. It would also be highly advantageous for safety and health concerns to provide a protective body vest with an offset opening to protect against impact from sporting activities to internal organs such as the heart. Further, it would become advantageous for safety reasons to provide a protective body vest with an overlap made of protective material to cover the exposed areas of the torso below the offset opening. Additionally, it would become advantageous to provide a protective body vest with a front tapered design to protect the lower abdomen area. Still, further, it would become advantageous for safety reasons to provide a protective body vest with a back tapered design in the back to protect the lower spine, tailbone and ilium areas of the body. Further yet, it would be highly advantageous to provide a protective body vest that is quickly and easily donned, thus encouraging its use and providing a significant degree of protection to the wearer. In addition, it would become highly advantageous for sporting efficiency to provide a protective vest that can permit unhindered movement of both arms of the athlete wearing the vest. The present invention can provide these and other advantages as is hereinafter explained.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of my invention to provide a multi-section one piece garment having a front and back tapered design with an offset opening and an overlap for safety and health reasons.
It is a further object of my invention to provide a multi-section one piece garment having a front and back tapered design with an offset opening for safety and health reasons.
It is a still further object of my invention to provide a multi-section one piece garment to be sized and shaped for a female athlete.
Other objects of my invention, as well as particular features, elements, and advantages thereof, will be elucidated in, or apparent from, the following description and the accompanying drawing figures.